All participants will start on a dosage of 600 mg/day of CoQ10 in divided doses, increasing weekly by 600 mg/day to a maximum dosage of 2400 mg/day at week 4. Dosage should be stable from week 4 until week 20.

Drug: CoQ10

Capsules containing 300 mg of CoQ10 or matching placebo taken orally twice a day. All participant will start on a dosage of 600 mg/day in divided doses, increasing weekly by 600 mg/day to a maximum dosage of 2400 mg/day at week 4. Dosage should be stable from week 4 until week 20.

Other Names:

-Ubiquinone

-coenzyme Q10

Experimental: 1200 mg per day of CoQ10

All participants will start on a dosage of 600 mg/day in divided doses, increasing weekly by 600 mg/day to a maximum dosage of 2400 mg/day at week 4. Dosage should be stable from week 4 until week 20.

Drug: CoQ10

Capsules containing 300 mg of CoQ10 or matching placebo taken orally twice a day. All participant will start on a dosage of 600 mg/day in divided doses, increasing weekly by 600 mg/day to a maximum dosage of 2400 mg/day at week 4. Dosage should be stable from week 4 until week 20.

Other Names:

-Ubiquinone

-coenzyme Q10

Experimental: 2400 mg per day of CoQ10

All participants will start on a dosage of 600 mg/day in divided doses, increasing weekly by 600 mg/day to a maximum dosage of 2400 mg/day at week 4. Dosage should be stable from week 4 until week 20.

Drug: CoQ10

Capsules containing 300 mg of CoQ10 or matching placebo taken orally twice a day. All participant will start on a dosage of 600 mg/day in divided doses, increasing weekly by 600 mg/day to a maximum dosage of 2400 mg/day at week 4. Dosage should be stable from week 4 until week 20.

Other Names:

-Ubiquinone

-coenzyme Q10

Detailed Description:

secondary objectives:

To assess the change from baseline to 20 weeks on biomarkers of oxidative stress (8OHdG and 8OHrG) and DNA repair mechanisms (OGG1) in pre-manifest participants treated with 600, 1200 or 2400 mg per day of CoQ10.

To assess the dose-response relationship between CoQ10 at dosages of 600, 1200 or 2400 mg per day and 8OHdG/8OHrG and OGG1.

To assess the serum levels of CoQ10 at 600, 1200 or 2400 mg in pre-manifest participants and their relationship to 8OHdG/8OHrG and OGG1.

To assess the feasibility of implementing a preventive therapeutic trial in a pre-manifest population.

To assess the utility and stability of clinical measures of HD, social relations, behavior and employment in a pre-manifest sample enrolled in a treatment trial.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Participants will be positive for the CAGn expansion in the Huntingtin gene (>36 repeats) and be pre-manifest by virtue of scoring 3 or less on diagnostic confidence level (Question 17 of the UHDRS)

Participants will have received genetic testing prior to enrollment through a standard pre-manifest testing protocol.

18 years of age or older.

Concomitant medications are permitted with the exception of CoQ10, creatine > 5g/day and warfarin.

Exclusion Criteria:

History of intolerability to CoQ10.

CoQ10 use within 60 days prior to randomization.

Unstable medical or psychiatric illness;

Substance abuse within one year of the baseline visit.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding or lack of reliable contraception in women of childbearing age.

Subjects with known allergy to FD&C #6 yellow food coloring.

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00920699